Schools told not to charge any fees

Education Minister Nick Kuman.

By MATTHEW VARI 

Sunday, January 29, 2017 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

WITH enrollments for the academic year to begin, starting tomorrow- the tussled issue between schools and the department of education on fees charged to parents continued in parliament this week.

Minister for Education, Nick Kuman, reaffirmed in parliament to all school that no form of fees should be charged to parents of students in order to be enrolled in any public school in the country.

He said that he was very disappointed to learn schools continuing to defy the government and his department.

“This morning a parent brought me a form from Kilakila secondary with a couple of fees that went up to K700 for grade 12 student.”

“School enrolment starts on Monday next week (tomorrow) and obviously first week Feb(ruary) school start.”

“I have said this on the floor on many occasions. Beginning last year, cabinet made a deliberate policy decision for the department to advise all the schools in the country informing all the principles, headmasters, boards to ensure that no project fee or any other fee for that matter should be charged to the students.”

He said with the government paying school fees under its Tuition Fee Free policy- there was no reason why schools continue to charge various fees.

“I appealed in a media conference to all the schools in this country not to collect fees from parents as a condition which the students need to enrol for 2017 academic year.”

Member for Sinasina-Yonggamugl Kerenga Kua, however, pointed out the issues of released funds as an issue forcing the hand of schools to impose fee.

“The reality is that these funds are not released in a timely manner forcing the administrators of the school to impose those fees.”

“Can he (Kuman) undertake that he will release those funds in a timely manner this year?”

Minister Kuman assured the member of the release of K75 million before the beginning of the academic year in February.

“Before the school year starts K75 million will be remitted to the schools for this year. Last week the expenditure committee has sat and they appropriated that amount of money.”

“When it hits the bank it will hit the schools accounts in this country, let us not forget that we have not failed in any one year.” Kuman concluded.